The New York Jets have a kicker competition brewing in training camp this summer between longtime NFL veteran Nick Folk and former UFL standout Harrison Mevis, colloquially known as the "Thiccer Kicker."
Mevis entered the summer battling with undrafted rookie Caden Davis, but the latter was swiftly replaced by the 18-year veteran Folk following an uninspiring start to training camp.
Folk has wasted little time reacquainting himself with the Jets organization and already appears to be the clear favorite for the kicker job. That notion was further confirmed when details of his new Jets contract were revealed on Wednesday.
ESPN's Rich Cimini is reporting that the Jets handed Folk a one-year, $2.875 million contract with a $620,000 signing bonus and a $755,000 salary guarantee. That's a hefty chunk of guaranteed money and a strong indication that the Jets expect him to be on their Week 1 roster.
Nick Folk is the odds-on favorite to win the Jets' kicker battle
Folk is set to enter his 18th NFL season in 2025 and his first as a member of the Jets since departing after the 2016 season. The former Pro Bowl kicker has since bounced around, most recently finding a temporary home in Nashville over the last two years.
Folk was traded to the Tennessee Titans after four years in New England prior to the 2023 season, and he went on to put together the best year of his career, connecting on 29-of-30 field goals and posting a career-best 96.7% conversion rate.
He carried over that momentum into an equally outstanding season in 2024. Folk once again led the NFL in field-goal percentage, making 21-of-22 attempts, including a perfect 6-of-6 from 50+. A groin injury caused him to miss the final three games of the season, but Folk once again proved to be among the league's best.
The Jets are hoping to find a solution to their kicker woes after a disastrous 2024 season that saw the team cycle through a whopping six different kickers in the wake of Greg Zuerlein's collapse and subsequent injury.
The likes of Austin Seibert, Riley Patterson, Spencer Shrader, Anders Carlson, and Greg Joseph all kicked in games for the Jets a year ago. The hope is that Folk — or Mevis, for that matter — could bring some semblance of stability back to the position.
Mevis will still have an opportunity to prove he deserves the job, especially considering that the Jets will likely opt to carry multiple kickers on their roster through the preseason to avoid putting extra stress on the leg of the soon-to-be 41-year-old Folk.
That said, Folk has outplayed the former UFL star. Mevis made just 2-of-5 field goals in the Jets' Green & White Scrimmage this past weekend, missing all three of his kicks from 40+. Folk went 4-of-5 from similar distances.
Nothing is set in stone just yet, but at this point, it would be a surprise if anyone but Nick Folk were kicking for the Jets in Week 1.
